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From the Park Interpreter's Perch
Last update: 12/20/07

I have now been with GRSP/HCSNA for five or so weeks and as excited as I was on the first day I can honestly say I am even more excited about being here now. It has been a bit of a whirlwind for me however I have always enjoyed a good breeze so I feel right at home. As I have been going through the process of settling in I have taken the time to doing a bit of self-brainstorming in terms of what might be possible in terms of programs as well as volunteer- and resource-wise. These ruminations of mine have led me to the conclusion that there are both challenges yet incredible possibilities not only for the park and natural area, but for the people we serve and for the Friends and other volunteers. Let’s begin with programs.

Programmatically the Friends group has carried the ball wonderfully well as reflected in the number of programs that have occurred on Saturday evenings, the Saturday morning walks, the 3rd grade programs, and events like the just concluded and very successful Halloween in the Park. There has been a wonderful diversity of programs offered at the amphitheatre and having attended a Saturday morning walk, a great deal of knowledge and a passion for the natural area has been shared with a great number of visitors.

The challenge as I see it is that there hasn’t been a staff person in a position to dedicate a significant amount of time to programming in some time. This has placed a lot of pressure on the Friends group and it has responded. Now that the Interpreter position has been filled, there arises the opportunity not only for more direct staff involvement with the Friends in terms of support of existing programs, but the opportunity for the expansion and further diversification of programs.

Not long ago I shared a list of program ideas with Mark, Robert and the Friends Board. As I see it, we have the opportunity to dramatically increase the diversity of programming at the park and natural area. I see a day where teacher training workshops in Leopold Education Project (there are four people that I know of, two each from the Lindheimer and Alamo Chapters of Master Naturalists that are trained facilitators, and I plan to become one, as well, sooner than later, by the way – anyone want to join me?), Project WILD, WET, and Flying WILD (I am a certified trainer for this great program) are held routinely at the park and natural area, led by trained Friends volunteers and park staff. I see a day when natural history workshops on a variety of topics are held not only for campers but for members of the local communities. I see a day when an annual festival to celebrate birds, butterflies and water/river resources. And, as I see it, these are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg (I haven’t even mentioned the cultural resource interpretation that can be done – oops, consider it mentioned!).

In terms of resource management, I see a day when we have community volunteers assisting with a variety of citizen science/research-based activities throughout the park and natural area. Where volunteers routinely monitor nest success of bluebirds along established and maintained bluebird trails, where renewed efforts to monitor golden-cheeked warblers is on-going, as is monitoring of amphibians, butterflies and more. Currently efforts are underway through San Antonio Audubon to survey birds on Honey Creek and a Texas Watch station is monitored each month on the Guadalupe. Both of these efforts can be expanded.

For me, the bottom line is that by increasing opportunities for involvement in resource management and stewardship, we can increase our visitors’ awareness and appreciation for not only the natural world in general, but for Honey Creek and the state park specifically.

The real key to this effort though is volunteer support. That is perhaps our most immediate and daunting challenge and yet our greatest opportunity. Too few people right now are doing too much. We face the real possibility of burn out and quite frankly, I would say the loss of even one of our currently active Friends members is a great blow to what we already have in place not to mention what I have outlined above. Therefore in the capacity of Volunteer Coordinator that is a part of my job, I am going to make a great effort to increase not only the number of volunteers but the activity of those volunteers.

I was given a mandate to increase volunteer numbers by 10% a year. If I base this on the current roster of “active” volunteers, I would only need to add 1 or 2 individuals. This simply isn’t good enough. So what I intend to do is increase the number of truly active Friends volunteers to 20 people by the end of the fiscal year 2008. That will nearly double the number of active volunteers we currently have. This will help reduce the load on each of the current volunteer and further diversify our base of knowledge and skills more individuals will bring to the table. This will be a good thing.

Some of you reading this may have your doubts; I don’t. I hope those of you that are current Friends members but inactive other than your annual fee contribution will re-examine your commitment to the Friends group and over the next few months join us in the capacity of becoming more active, whether it is in the area of resource management or education. Consider attending one of the monthly volunteer training meetings I will be hosting on a monthly basis beginning in January. Give me a call and let’s visit.
What I have outlined above may seem to be a challenging endeavor – it is. However, I am up for the challenges for I believe in the possibilities. Join with myself, our active Friends members and the rest of the staff of the state park and natural area and together we will move this facility even farther ahead then where we are now.

Feel free to contact me via email at
craig.hensley@tpwd.state.tx.us
or by calling my office at 830.438.7653.

I hope to see you soon!